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013. Model of Nine Levels of Growth - Level 2

The vital in the mind is called Two, represented by feeling and sentiment in consciousness above and substance below. Sensations begin in the body, move to vital and emotion, and in the end reach mind. They are known as physical sensation, vital sensation, emotional sensation and mental sensation. Burning, itching, thirst, hunger are physical; anger, attraction, urge, impulse are vital; affection, kindness, sympathy are emotional; curiosity, memory, imagination are of the mind. The emotional sensation is fortified or organised as a thought enters it when it becomes a feeling. Sentiment is a stronger version of it when the feeling of consciousness is accepted by the mental substance. Sensitivities arise from the sentiments.

Mind is a plane of understanding, observation, comprehension, decision, imagination, conception, sympathy. Thought, emotion and action interact in each of the 3 planes of mind, vital and physical. In each plane, the action is different.  In law and order problems, the action of the authorities varies from bursting tear gas shells, to firing. They move over the scale of cane charge, lathi charge, opening fire, calling in reserve police and finally the army. Each level of deterrence is meted out by a different level of officer. The same action, gaining in intensity, demands a higher officer to execute. Thought acts differently in the physical from the mind. So also emotions act in the mind very differently from the plane of body. But it retains the character of emotion in all the planes.

Viewed in this context, Sentiment and Feeling give us more views to consider. Movement of energy is both ways, from 1 to 2 and from 3 to 2. The decision of 3 is decisive as long as sympathy does not enter into its fabric. The strength of decision is watered down by the touch of emotion. Here the strength arises from its being crude. The clarity of concept loses its precision when it admits into its fold feeling or sentiment. Moving downwards from 1, sentiment is a weakening agent, weakening of a thought. Moving upwards, sentiment weakens the crudity of a decision.  Sentiment is sandwiched between the refined thought and crude decision.

Action emotionalised refines the sensational thought into pure idea, re-organising  it around the mental sense instead of sensational thought. Conceptual clarity is diluted by feeling to be ready to act in the medium of life. Here it loses its refined organisation for pure thinking in favour of crude organisation necessary for action.

Action issuing out of the decision of 3 will not have the benefit of ethics of feeling and will be limited to the emotions of the vital energy which belongs to society. Social emotions to be upgraded into ethical ideals need the office of feeling and sentiment.

The process of refined ideas becoming feeling is accomplished by the emotional energy in the mental plane. Its further development to decision in the descent is achieved by the energy of feeling turning into energy of action. We witness in all the planes horizontally the movements of energy of comprehension towards energy of action via energy of emotion. Vertically too, from the body to mind and vice versa, this movement retains the same character.

Personality of man is stationed or centred only at one point. To understand a man, one has to understand all his actions from this point of reference. As the 9 or 108 levels concentrate for purposes of existence of an individual and collect at one point of his most integrated centre to make it his personality, we need to discard the general discussion in favour of a given situation. This helps us evaluate his action and enables us to advise him on self-improvement.

General consideration of an individual or an individual evaluation of a general situation opens the possibilities of discussion on all sides which is the strategy by which confusion is organised.

Passion, ambition, devotion, dedication, sensibility, sensitivity, ideal, etc. emerge into clearer foci by this classification.

Two is the seat of poet as 1 is the seat of philosopher. 3 is the arsenal of the organiser. Language serves each of them differently. It supplies matter of fact phrases to the organiser, metaphor to the poet and well-defined, precise words devoid of sentiments to the scholar. Emphasizing their own version of language, the philosopher can degenerate into the doctrinaire professor, the poet into an idealist and the organiser can raise his actions to the level that demands worship or obedience.

As the descent is more powerful than the plodding ascent, we should carefully sift them out before any serious consideration.



story | by Dr. Radut